Hit & Run - DVD

Movie: Charles Bronson (Dax Shepard) enjoys his quiet life in the sleepy small town of Milton, where he is hidden from potential revenge by gangster Alex Dmitri (Bradley Cooper) as part of the witness protection program. He has built a small idyll with his girlfriend Annie (Kristen Bell), which could be abruptly shattered when Annie receives a once-in-a-lifetime job offer. In Los Angeles, a chair in non-violent conflict resolution is being introduced at the university, the very subject in which Annie has a doctorate. Too bad Charles isn't actually allowed to leave Milton. Still, he definitely wants Annie to apply for the job. He even wants to drive her to the interview - a decision he will soon bitterly regret. Because Annie's jealous ex-boyfriend Gil (Michael Rosenbaum) has found out the true identity of his rival and reveals to Dmitri via Facebook that the man who sent him to prison is on his way to LA. Pursued by Gil, Dmitri and the cop assigned to protect him, Randy (Tom Arnold), the trip to L.A. turns into a wild chase. into a wild car chase that not only tests the gas pedal of Charles` car, but also his relationship with Annie...

With hit & run, Dax Shepard has staged a fast-paced homage, virtually in personal union, to films like A Slyboots. Together with his co-director David Palmer, with whom Shepard has already directed a short film and a feature film, the actor known from the series Parenthood has lured a whole host of friends from the film business in front of the camera. In addition to his partner Kristen Veronica Mars Bell and his Parenthood partner Joy Bryant, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes (Will & Grace), Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars, 2 Broke Girls), Tom Arnold or Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) also do the honors in the comedy. A particularly successful coup, however, is the casting of Bradley Cooper as the gangster-in-chief, who, with a nasty rasta hairdo, has little in common with the actor who was voted Sexiest Man Alive in 2011.

The fact that Shepard has surrounded himself primarily with friends is also positively noticeable in the film. There was clearly a relaxed, family atmosphere on set, which gives the comedy a certain charm that it can very often benefit from. Especially when the script relies on amusing dialogues or nice ideas like the running gag about the driving skills of policeman Ronny, Hit & Run is really fun. The film doesn't have to shy away from comparisons to its predecessors in such moments then.

It's a pity that Shepard obviously felt he had to enrich his comedy with some crude gags and all-too-effortful shock effects. A pensioner orgy, in which the viewer is deprived of almost nothing, or an extended conversation about how Dmitri was sexually abused in prison, represent the low points of the level. It may be that these scenes also elicit a laugh from one or the other viewer. Nevertheless, Hit & Run would not have needed such interludes to be able to entertain well. To be sure, the film would never have become completely great head-scratcher. But without the unnecessary taste derailments, the whole thing would have turned out much more charming and amusing. So hit & Run is not quite a big hit, but for an entertaining DVD evening with some very funny moments it is fortunately still enough. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The DVD's picture is dominated by very warm, earthy tones. The image sharpness is over long stretches on a very good level, here and there, however, there are minor weaknesses in the detail representation and slightly washed out shots. Still, the overall positive impression prevails in the end, which also applies to the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. While the dialogues are mixed very centrally, especially in the last third, good surround effects provide again and again for a pleasant dynamic. Good!

Extras: In addition to three very short promo featurettes, each just under 2:30 minutes long, the DVD still has 23 minutes of cut scenes to offer. These are primarily extended dialogue sequences from earlier cut versions that have been trimmed or removed entirely after previews and internal screenings. Finally, there are 33 minutes of uncommented B-roll footage (without subtitles), as well as the trailer for the film and other programming tips from the provider. Good!

Conclusion: Hit & Run is a wacky comedy that's really good when it doesn't try too convulsively to break taboos or get bogged down in unnecessary silliness. The film doesn't really need that, as it has enough wit and charming characters to entertain even without naked pensioners or jokes about prison rape. As a tribute to films such as A crafty shark, the whole thing is well done, which is why there is a bottom line for the technically well implemented DVD then also despite some humorous low points still a recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp